1 of

Indonesian Gado gado

Gado means ‘mixed’. This traditional Indonesian specialty is a combination of raw and lightly cooked vegetables served with spicy peanut sauce. Ingredients vary from region to region. Other additions are spinach, snow peas or cauliflower. Firm vegetables can be served raw, blanched or steamed. Whatever method is used, they must remain crunchy. Serve the salad cold or at room temperature.

The email addresses you've entered will not be stored and will only be used to send this email. Privacy policy

Ingredients
Serves: 6

1 small head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated

2 large potatoes, boiled and sliced

200g green beans, sliced, blanched

3⁄4 cup bean sprouts, blanched

1 1⁄2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage, blanched

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 medium red onion, sliced

3 spring onions, cut in short lengths

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

2 fresh red chillies, seeded and thinly sliced

4 medium hard–boiled eggs, sliced

125g fried tofu, cut into cubes

For the peanut sauce

½ cup of vegetable oil

1 1⁄4 cups raw unsalted peanuts

2 garlic cloves

4 spring onions, chopped

salt

1⁄2 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon soft brown sugar

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 cups water

juice of 1 lemon

DirectionsPrep:30min › Cook:15min › Ready in:45min

Arrange lettuce leaves on a large plate. Add all the remaining salad ingredients in small groups (for people to help themselves). Serve peanut sauce separately.

To make peanut sauce, heat oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat. Stir–fry peanuts until light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel to cool. Pound or process peanuts until finely ground. Discard oil from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon.

Crush garlic and spring onions in a mortar and pestle with a little salt. Fry in reserved oil, about 1 minute. Add chilli powder, sugar, soy sauce and water. Bring to a boil; add ground peanuts. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick, about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and more salt, if needed. Cool. (Sauce can be made ahead and stored in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)